Pessimism Worst in Two Years, Says Poll

The New York Times/CBS poll said today (April 21) that the nation's economic mood has sunk to its lowest in two years. A full 39% think the economy is getting worse -- 13% higher than a month ago. The percentage saying the economy is getting better is 23, and the same 38. Seventy percent think the nation is on the wrong track and 26% on the right track. On the question of whether sharp budget reduction will create jobs, it's a split; 29% say yes, 29% say slashes would cost jobs, and 27% think there would be no effect. Another split: 59% disapprove of how President Obama is handling the federal budget deficit and 63% disapprove of how Congress is doing.

Seventy percent think the nation is on the wrong track

So whom will you vote for? Trump? Palin? Huckabee? The Republicans are only offering clowns, other than Mitt Romney, who seems to be civilized. I, too, am very disappointed with Obama -- particularly how he has sold out to Wall Street, thus almost guaranteeing that the woes of 2007-2009 will return. Best, Don Bauder

Don, the saddest fact is that most people don't know how bad things really are due to failed politicians and university scholars.

The reality is that global warming threatens our youngest generations with a totally unacceptable quality of life in about 50 years, because we already have about 7 billion people today and decreasing availability of vital resources like food and clean water due to out of control climate changes we are already experiencing throughout the world.

Politicians are ignoring it because they are too busy selling out their honor just to get reelected, and lying to the electorate about the fact that they are total failures to even meet the basic needs of humanity, with no leaders at all who really care enough to make the right things happen for future generations.

And our university scholars have totally failed completely to teach us how to survive because they live in Ivory Towers that allow them to completely ignore reality and they refuse to be held responsible and accountable for actually implementing long-term solutions to real world problems once they get tenure.

So global warming is only one step up from obesity at the bottom of the list of public concerns because our current politicians are too busy selling us out to special interests for their own wealth and power, and university scholars refuse to participate in actually saving humanity, much less communicate effectively to the public about how to avoid calamity.

Yes, we are plagued by short term thinking -- in politics, in business and banking, in the academic world. Business and Wall Street are incapable of thinking beyond next quarter's earnings per share. This is one reason business is fighting global warming initiatives. Politicians only think as far as the next election. Academics are so tied to the business/financial world that they won't stand up and fight for critical concerns, such as environment, and they won't fight against malevolent forces, such as corporate welfare. You are correct: future generations will suffer from our neglect of global warming and our refusal to tackle the massive government, consumer, and financial debt. Best, Don Bauder